A service of thanksgiving for the new building of Lower Ford Street Baptist Church (LFSBC) in Coventry was held on 11 October.
The official opening had already taken place on 14 September when the Lord Mayor of Coventry, the local MP, and those involved in the construction attended. The previous building, strategically located on the edge of the city centre near to Coventry University and opened in 1857, was no longer fit for purpose. Rebuilding started in 2013. Hillfields Evangelical Baptist Church and Durbar Avenue Evangelical Church kindly shared their services/buildings while LFSBC were ‘homeless’.
The new building on the same site has increased floor space by 76%, includes a modern kitchen and several multi-function rooms, and cost £963,000. Just over £100,000 still needs to be raised.
Supporters from 39 churches across England and Wales shared in the day.
John Stevens, of the FIEC, to whom LFSBC has recently become affiliated, preached from Matthew 16.13-28. He said that Christians should engage in the mission to build the church. Christians should be confident because of Jesus’s promise to build his church, be faithful because Jesus is the only foundation of the church, and be bold because Jesus has given us authority to preach the gospel. The mission is achieved by Christ’s death on the cross, and by our cross-bearing, sacrificial and costly discipleship.
